North County Park Christmas Display

We went to Wib’s BBQ in Jackson tonight. It gave us a chance to help Grandson Malcolm with a school project. He sent Mother “Flat Stanley,” a storybook character who was smashed “flat as a pancake” when a bookcase fell on him. He was, in fact, smashed flat enough that he can fit into an envelope and go all over the world having his photo taken in exotic locations – like in front of Wib’s. After we shot this photo, we went inside where I ordered two Brown Hots, french fries and slaw; Mother had chili (which she always complains is too spicy.)

When the server came by to see if everything was OK, I gestured for him to lean in, then said, “I think the kitchen made a terrible mistake with my order.”

He look properly concerned.

“They put meat on my sandwiches,” I replied.

Wib’s has the best sauce in town, but I think they must still be on the original pig they started the business with in 1947. There was a whole staff of young folks working there tonight and I think the cook must have a lighter thumb on the scale than the usual one.

North County Park Christmas Display

On the way back from Jackson, we stopped at North County Park to check out the Christmas displays. I’m not sure how many years they’ve been doing this, but it’s become a local must-see.

Some of the displays are very nice. Some are very imaginative. Some are, to be honest, tacky, particularly some of the commercial ones. More and more of them are memorials to family members who won’t be there for another Christmas. Those are touching.

Bumper to bumper traffic

We got there right after dark, so it wasn’t too congested. By the time we left, though, cars were streaming into the park. It’s considered good form to drive with just your parking lights on, but this car broke the rules (and I think him for giving me a little extra light on the scene).

One minivan in front of us had me perplexed. I could see through the back window that they were playing a kid’s movies on a DVD player mounted near the ceiling. Now, maybe I’m old-fashioned, but don’t you think it might have been appropriate to shut the thing off for 15 minutes and tell the kids to look out the bleeping window at the real world?

Past stories with a Christmas theme

Photo gallery of Christmas display

Here are other photos from the evening. Click on any picture to make it larger, then click on the left or ride side to mover through the gallery.

5 Replies to “North County Park Christmas Display”

  1. Very nice shots of the Christmas lights northern park in Cape…I usually see the lights when i go with mydad tothe Elks Club hidden in the woods behind and north of the park. Most of the time there are huge lines of cars there adn you have to drive very slowly, which is fine becuse you can look closely at teh diplays…I love the small touches on the diplays, like the little secret messages and outright commericals on some of the displays. It is VERY impressive.
    …and I will have to go for my first Wib’s when I get to The Cape area in a couple of weeks. Do they have paved roads in Jackson now?

    1. The roads in and to Jackson are mostly paved these days. The tollgates that used to be on the roads have been taken down, but the Houck Railroad no longer runs between Cape and Jackson.

      Let’s see if you can beat the 1906 speed record:

      Fastest time Cape to Jackson: July 9, 1906, Joe Wilson drove from Cape to Jackson in a record time of 25 minutes, “probably the shortest time in which the 10 miles had ever been traversed up to that time.”

      Here are more Cape automotive firsts.

  2. Ken,back when you ran the pics of Lorimier School water-fountain murals, Jean McGuire ( or McGinnis?) made a reply to me concerning the fact that in the house where I grew up, 224 N. Lorimier, and which she now owns, she had found a drawing that I did in the 40’s or 50’s- she wanted to get this to me and I have posted a reply and have had no response – do you possibly have an e-mail address for her that you could give me. My family and I would like SO MUCH to get in touch with her – thank you for any help you can give me, Ken

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *